The Bread of Life in Marcus Garvey Park

 8/8

Ecclesia

It is my first time to be with the Ecclesia congregation since Covid...long before...maybe two years...This community of people...many people who are homeless....that gathers every Sunday in Marcus Garvey Park in the heart of Harlem. To share the word. And eucharist. And break bread with food prepared by various congregations.  Due to covid, our singing aloud is circumscribed. The consecrated hots will be placed in a napkin held by hands.  And only the celebrant will drink the cup. But nevertheless, we are here...The Delta variant is re-raising our caution and our anxiety.   Here are my reflections for this Sunday....

So what comes to mind when you think about bread? I was just visiting my family in Germany. They take bread very seriously there. It’s dark and thick and crunchy and has seeds …and..let’s just say it’s the polar opposite of Wonder Bread. I can close my eyes and remember the warm sweet smell of the bakery I would go to with my grandfather when I was little. I can remember watching the  machines at work preparing loaves of sliced bread.  I can remember the Irish soda breads I have made…the caraway seeds and raisins. And cornbread to go with chili or barbecue. Tortillas to make tacos or burritos or…Naan bread to go with curry…Italian bread to mop up tomato sauce or the fresh bread my relatives bake to wipe out the pots on apple butter weekend. Close your eyes …what do you smell?

And then of course, the paper thin wafer we share in the Eucharist…..

Bread is our most elemental and elementary of foods. The traditional prison meal was bread and water…Our word companion…and the Spanish word companero, both connote those whom we break bread with…the phrase “our daily bread” means all our personal essential needs…and the word has been used colloquially to refer to our money, our wages…

And that’s what we will be  doing at the end of our service today…sharing the eucharist, and a meal made for us by friends.

In our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus is telling  us that he is the bread of life. The crowd, the good church people can’t seem to understand what this young man they have know all these years is capable of.  Isn’t this just Joe and Mary’s kid?  They can’t seem to accept that God can act in unexpected ways.

And that coming, seeing, believing, and being given to him are all related. 

Jesus also makes clear that it is God who draws people to him. It is a function of grace, not our will that brings us to him. It’s not about being deserving. We don’t choose God, God chooses us, There’s nothing we can do to earn it and nothing we can do to keep from being offered it…and we are drawn to Jesus, not coerced or forced…and God’s love is always resistible, always vulnerable to rejection…but it keeps on coming….

So Jesus tells us that he is the Bread of Life and asks us to eat that bread. What does that mean? Raymond Brown says simply to fully take another in, to fully accept them in the fullness of who they are. We are invited this morning to take in Jesus as he is. To accept him, To take his life into ours and receive that offer of acceptance and love.  This is the bread of life, meant for you. Let those who will come, come. 

Amen

After we have shared bread and cup and sandwiches, we spread out to share the leftovers with whoever we will find in the park...a light drizzle starts to fall as I head home...

John 6: 35, 41-51

35Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

41Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" 43Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves. 44No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Third Sunday in Lent: What did I do to deserve this?

3/24/19

Ready for Eucharist in Marcus Garvey Park

It's officially spring now. Ona sunny mild afternoon I make my way to Marcus Garvey Park where the Sunday afternoon Ecclesia Congregation is gathering. Along with volunteers from Riverside Church and the Interfaith Center. There's anew  friend from the Dominican Republic. And old friends. And new. This was my reflection: 

I can't tell you how many times as a Pastor I have had someone, often from a hospital bed, say to me " I just don't know what I have done Pastor, that God would cause me to suffer like this."It's a common question. I think that behind that question is a desire to have everything make sense, even if it means having to be guilty of something you can't figure out. Somehow that idea is easier to live with than the thought that what happens is random.

People come to Jesus with a report of a political atrocity committed by Pilate, mixing the blood of some Galileans with "their sacrifices." And the other "news of the day" includes a non-political disaster of the Siloam tower falling on people. He takes the opportunity to challenge the idea that what happens in this life has anything to do with how much of a sinner you are. He's pretty clear...there's no connection. I used to have a friend that would say, "Time wounds all heels"....if only it were true.

And the reverse of that is equally true. We live in a time when there is a popular idea called the Prosperity Gospel. The idea is if you believe the right thing, God will bless you. Or worse, that if you have material wealth, it must mean that God has blessed you and  you deserve it and if you don't have material wealth, it's your own fault, a sign of your own sinfulness. The whole language of the world being divided into "makers and takers" is just a variant of that idea.

Jesus is very clear about that..."NO, I tell you...."

But he uses this to go another direction, to talk about repentance. We are three weeks deep in the season of Lent, in the midst of our 40 day journey of reflection in preparation for Easter. A time when we are called upon to think about our lives, to think about what might need changing. To think about what we might need to change in order to become the person Jesus has created us to be. To repent, turn around, go a new direction.

SO he tells us a story about a fig tree that is barren. The gardener asks for one  more year to tend it, care for it, fertilize it and see what might happen. 

I guess there's a few ideas here...one is that not all doors are always open. Ultimately we do have to decide. But the truth is, it is never up to us to pass that judgment on another. That privilege is God's alone. 

They say that in any parable, we are ALL the characters...so...we are the man who is fed up with the tree...how often do we feel that way about someone else? Or ourselves?  And certainly we can be the fig tree, in need of another chance, one more opportunity to turn things around. Of course, Jesus is the gardener. But as part of the living  body of the risen Christ, we too are called to participate in creating those opportunities for others, even those who people have given up on. I suspect that at the end of the year, this gardener might say again, "OK, give me  just one more year..."

Maybe one more thought. It takes manure to fertilize. I'm wondering if there might be something in,  well, the crap of our lives that can be used to help us grow to be fruitful, you know, even helpful to others, like I can see what you're going through, I've been there, maybe I can help...like that.

May  be with you in journey to repentance and new life. May we be with one another. In the name of this gardener, this Jesus, Amen.

During prayers, many concerns are lifted up about missing friends. People continue to arrive. On foot. And in wheel chair. Eucharist is shared, one by one. 

And then we share the meal prepared by Riverside. And the circle begins to disperse. As we walk out fo the park, using the portable altar, Father Clyde sees one of the missing friends and immediately goes over to her. And we share our left over sandwiches with  her and her friends.... 



                                                                        ****

Luke 13: 1-9
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."

6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Reflections on the Reign of Christ, 2018

11/24

With Father Clyde and Ecclesia in Marcus Garvey Park

After two days of freezing cold and another drenched in rain, it's a beautiful day again as I head to Marcus Garvey Park to lead worship with the gathered Ecclesia congregation. Precious and Marcos go out into the park looking for others to invite to break bread with us, liturgically and in a real meal. Father Clyde uses the asperges to bless the ground as holy

Holy ground

and the service begins. Here is my reflection on Christ the King Sunday...

So it's the end of Thanksgiving weekend...a holiday that seems to bring out something good in people. As usual, churches I know like my neighbor First Corinthian Baptist, Broadway Presbyterian, Trinity Lutheran...all putting on fine meals. On Tuesday I saw a truck form the New York Giants delivering turkeys to 116th street in Harlem.

the Giants deliver food

On my way to my sister's I saw a sign advertising Sweet Mama's  soul food restaurant on 145th offering a free Thanksgiving buffet from noon until 3. And my musician friend Paul, like he does every year, took his accordion to play for the folks waiting in line at Goddard Riverside for their dinner. Something about the day! And some of that remains with us even today.

In the church year, today is Christ the King Sunday, or Reign of Christ Sunday as we hear now these days. It marks the end of the year, the crown of the year, you might say. And it's a door we walk through to get to Advent. It's the one of the few church holidays I know that is named for a theological  idea not an event.  

And we are introduced to the day today through the story of Jesus' encounter with Pontius Pilate who interrogates Jesus about kingship. In the end, Jesus claims his kingship but not in a way Pilate could understand. Jesus maintains his is not a geo-political kingship. Not

 about territory. (At the  end of the day, he is crucified as a political revolutionary...)

Jesus has a strange claim. His kingship is about truth. "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." he says. But what is truth? (Well, that's another conversation with Pilate I'm not getting into today. )I don't want to get deep and philosophical. I'm looking for the heart of the matter. And for that, I recall that in another place on this scripture Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life..and for me, that's pretty much it. If we walk in Jesus' footsteps, if we follow his path, we will walk in truth and we will come  to know what is true. As we walk with him day by day, it will become clear. 

What this kingship is about is authority, not geography.  Who has the ultimate authority in your life?  That is the question. And it has profound implications. In a conversation, I used the expression in this day of Trump....and my friend said, NO, it is not the day of Trump, it is the day of Jesus. It is always the time of Christ. Trump may be the President, He may be the elected leader of the US. But he does not control our time. Or our hearts. Or minds.

It is simple to say, not so easy to do. We don't want Jesus to rule our country, we want him to rule our hearts. And we declare that all creation is under his dominion.

It's a cliche, I know, but we always need to ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?  As we live in his kingdom, we begin to receive the wisdom and courage we need to begin to change both ourselves and the world around us. 

Amen..

Following the sermon, we share the Eucharist,  and then a lunch, prepared by our friends at Riverside Church. One by one the congregants slip away, out from the park, back to wherever we live our lives.  

The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John

Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (Jn 18:33-37)

Worship with Ecclesia in Marcus Garvey Park

4/29

Dr. Brashear and Father Clyde

On the 5th Sunday if April, a mild spring day, I came to lead worship  for the Ecclesia congregation in Marcus Garvey Park.  Ecclesia worships outside every Sunday in three parks around the city. The word is broken, Eucharist celebrated and then a meal served on the altar on which communion was shared. The service begins with my friend Father Clyde consecrating the ground with holy water as he does every Sunday.

Consecrating the ground

Hymns are sung, the gospel read. Then it's time for my sermon:

You ever encounter those  people  who  want to know if you are saved? You  see them on the street, on the subway, any public place. And I'll be honest..sometimes it can worry you, right? Do I believe the  right thing? Am I going to get into heaven? How could God possibly love me? It's easy to feel that way.

I'd like to share two words of "Good News" with you today.  First from the First letter of John. (This was a really important verse to me...) When I was young and wanted to get married, I was in love and going to marry a young Jewish woman. I was a little worried about this and asked a minister friend about this.  And his response was these words:

Love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God
and...God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.  

So I want to make sure you heard that and got that straight...if you can love, if you love, you are born of God and know God and you abide in God and God abides in you...it's that simple. It's not about what ideas you believe or with what words. Or what church you belong to or even what religion. The bottom line is  love....

As for worthiness, that story  in Acts  of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch is one of my favorites.  Now on the one hand, he was doing pretty well. He was a court official. In charge of the  whole treasury of the Ethiopian queen. He came to Jerusalem to "worship", so he was already looking for something. 

BUT from Philip's perspective, the guy had 3 strikes against him already.  First, he was not a Jew. Not only that , but he was a eunuch. Which meant under their law, he was permanently unclean....like being gay or trans today in the eyes of some church people, and to top it off, he was BLACK. So when he asks Philip sincerely if he can be baptized, Philip's got to cross some boundaries.. And he does. And the Ethiopian eunuch is baptized and becomes the first non-Jewish Christian.  And the whole thing is so amazing, Philip is blown away. So blown away, he wakes up the next day in Azotus. (Which always sounded like one of those New Jersey towns to me like Paramus or Bogota or...)

Anyways, the point is...there are no bounds to God's welcome and embrace. It's about one thing and one thing only...LOVE...

When we come to the sharing of bread and cup, we all, ALL of us are invited to share in this holy meal together. As brothers and sisters. Fully welcomed. Fully accepted. And fully loved. As together we share in ....and become...the body of the risen Christ.

After the eucharist is celebrated and we have our prayers and sing more hymns and pass the peace, the service is over. Oh, there were prayers for the recently fired House Chaplain Father Conroy and Paul Ryan who fired him. The homeless people thought it might have something to do with them. It's time to share a meal (provided by my friends from West End Presbyterian).

sharing another meal

Then again, maybe sharing the meal is a continuation of the service. 

One by one the people go off in different directions...

the peace of the Lord be with you...

Amen
First Reading Acts 8:26-40

26Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: 
     “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, 
          and like a lamb silent before its shearer, 
               so he does not open his mouth. 
33  In his humiliation justice was denied him. 
          Who can describe his generation? 
               For his life is taken away from the earth.” 
34The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” [37And Phillip said,“If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.


Second Reading 1 John 4:7-21

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.